ATHENS – Wednesday night's Division IV district semifinal game between Paint Valley and Racine Southern took just a little more than one hour.

And Bearcats junior point guard Anthony McFadden took just two minutes to catch fire from behind the 3-point arc in Paint Valley's 65-49 win against the Tornadoes at Ohio University's Convocation Center.

Behind McFadden and 6-foot-5 senior Mason McCloy, Paint Valley (16-8) advanced to its second consecutive district final — the first time in school history the Bearcats have accomplished such a feat.

"Going to the district final two years in a row is an amazing feeling," McCloy said. "To be a senior and to be a part of something that has never happened before in my school's history is a great accomplishment."

Senior Clay Stratton got the scoring started for Paint Valley with a 15-footer from just beyond the free-throw line with 6:48 left in the first quarter. From that point, McFadden and McCloy played like men amongst boys.

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After the first quarter, Southern (13-12) had a 14-13 lead, with McFadden and McCloy responsible for 11 of the Bearcats' points.

Paint Valley took its first lead, 16-14, with 7:34 left in the second after McFadden nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. After another 3 from McFadden with 4:21 left, the Bearcats' advantage had stretched to 23-17.

Paint Valley would ride that momentum and outscore the Tornadoes, 15-8, in the second to seize a 29-21 advantage at halftime.

In the first half, McFadden hit five 3s to account for his 15 points, while McCloy contributed nine points and 13 rebounds.

"I don't really think about how many points I have," McFadden said. "I just shoot and try to follow through every time. (Wednesday), they were just falling for me. And it's a huge advantage to have the twin towers in Mason (McCloy) and (6-foot-9 freshman) Dylan (Swingle) down there in the post, knowing that if I miss the shot, they're fighting for the rebounds."

While McFadden shined in the first two quarters, McCloy further asserted his superiority in the second half.

Although the Bearcats came out a tad flat in the third, McCloy kept the lead safe and sound. The senior forward scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds in the quarter while the Tornadoes outscored Paint Valley, 20-14 — cutting the deficit to 43-41 heading into the final quarter.

"My guys never get flustered," Paint Valley coach Dave Shoemaker said. "They never thought for a minute that they were going to lose this game (Wednesday). I'm pacing the sidelines worried to death that we're going to fall behind and they had it all along."

In the fourth, it was senior Clay Stratton's turn to take the reins. Behind Stratton's play, Paint Valley put an exclamation point on the win with a final quarter in which they outscored Southern, 22-8.

McFadden finished with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists. McCloy scored 20 points and brought down 22 boards. Stratton ended the game with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.

Paint Valley now will face Glouster Trimble — which was a 73-35 winner against Sciotoville East — in a district final. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.

"Trimble is obviously really good," Shoemaker said. "However, our league is a better one than the one they play in. On our schedule, we've played many Division II and III teams and they haven't seen our size either this year. They'll be something that we haven't seen and we'll be something they haven't seen. So it's going to be a interesting game. We're looking forward to the challenge."

If the Bearcats are able to advance past the Tomcats, it will be the school's first district championship since 1962.

Derrick Webb is a Gazette sportswriter and can be reached at dwebb@chillicothegazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @dw1509.